Top Stories

Union sign Colombian forward Pajoy

UNI_Primary_COL

The Philadelphia Union completed the long-rumored signing of Colombian forward Lionard Pajoy from Itagui Ditaires on Wednesday, adding a piece that can help fill the scoring void left behind by the departed Sebastien Le Toux. Pajoy has received his P-1 visa, according to a team release, and will be joining the club soon for preseason preparations.

The 30-year-old, 6-foot-1 veteran had played his entire professional career in his native Colombia and is coming off a 13-goal year for Itagui Ditaires, adding another element to the Union's ever-changing attack.

After trading Le Toux to Vancouver and losing Veljko Paunovic to retirement, the Union have retooled up top, adding Pajoy, Costa Rican Josue Martinez and UCLA's Chandler Hoffman to 2010 first-round SuperDraft picks Danny Mwanga and Jack McInerney.

What do you think of the signing? How confident are you in Philadelphia's forwards?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Phiily’s striking corps looks pretty decent, but I don’t see how a team can get over losing such key players like Le Toux, Mondragon, and Ruiz.

    They seem to have a lot of good outside players, but they still lack that playmaker in the middle of the field. They have not had this player since their existence.

    Reply
  2. He was turned down by Puebla’s board after being suggested by JC Osorio because he has been addicted to cocaine in the past…

    Reply
  3. yep and you calling it the Chester PA Union let’s me know how objective you’re being… next you’re going to want to call the Superbowl champs the North Jersey Giants…

    Reply
  4. Not McInerney! He has done nothing ever when he’s on the field other than make bad passes, fall over like a spaz and run around aimlessly. I also think he has missed a few good chances. Please, not McInerney.

    Reply
  5. “With or without Le Toux, the Union lacked a target striker.”

    Agreed. But don’t know if this guy will fit that bill. Stats don’t tell you they style or role of a player in an overall scheme.

    “You don’t really need a target forward in this day and age, though.”

    Fair point, but when I think of the number of far post crosses that went begging last season I’d say the Union game plan really calls for a 6’2″ striker with a decent vertical leap and massive header skills. Again, don’t know if this is the guy who fits that bill.

    Oh, and can someone tell me what the deal is with McInerney. I know he’s a hot young prospect but I don’t see why folks think he’s starter material just yet.

    Reply
  6. How is he a “guaranteed flop” when he is a striker coming off a great season in his prime & one of the highest scoring if not the highest scorer in the colombian league???

    Reply
  7. You are comparing the quality of play (and quality of players) in MLS to Barcelona? …Right. RSL has the closest style to a La Liga team in MLS and they play with Saborio up top. Im missing your point.

    Reply
  8. The players that Pajoy needs to be measured against are Alejandro Moreno (2010) and Carlos Ruiz (1/2 of 2011). Thats the role in the offense he is being brought in to fill – this is not a sell Le Toux and buy another striker that plays the same position who Nowak, crossing his fingers and hoping for the best, has bet on. If he flops, he flops relative to those two players (and the potential of Mwanga to provide hold up play) not relative to Le Toux.

    Moving Le Toux, from a depth chart perspective, was more about Jack McInerney, Josue Martinez, and Chandler Hoffman, than it is about Pajoy. Add a final contract year into that mix and a request to more than double his salary for next season and the moves start to make more sense (not that they have played out well in the media).

    Reply
  9. You don’t really need a target forward in this day and age, though. Most of the top teams don’t really play a target game (look at Barca).

    Reply
  10. What does it matter if we can figure him out or not?

    Look at the improvement he orchestrated with this team from year 1 to year 2. Judge him by results. And thus far, I really like what I’m seeing. I don’t care what all the pundits say. The U have a bright bright future and I’m confident they’ll take another step forward this season.

    I like the signing.

    Reply
  11. This is exactly my question. Is he insurance for the young guys or is he a good player that they paid good money for? If the latter, would that money have been better served paying LeToux in the first place or do they still save oodles of cash swapping one for the other?

    Reply
  12. With or without Le Toux, the Union lacked a target striker. Ruiz filled that role for the first half of last season and then it was a skill set the U were without. Mac and Martinez are on the smaller side and Hoffman prefers playing in the hole. Were they supposed to enter the season with Mwanga as the only big-bodied striker on the squad?

    Reply
  13. I’m honestly done trying to figure out Peter Nowak. All I can say is that his whole spiel about building for the future after ditching Le Toux sounded like a stretch at first, and now it sounds downright disingenuous…kind of like a lot of other things he’s said.

    Reply
  14. Don’t be too fast to put down this signing. According to wikipedia (I know just relax) he had 10 goals in 17 games to be one of the top scorers in the league. Two instances of top Colombian league scorers coming to MLS that I can think of are Montero and Perlaza and they both worked out pretty well in my opinion.

    Reply
  15. So Nowak claims that Philly is prepping for the future right? So why did he trade away a younger and MLS proven striker and then sign an older, unproven 30 year old striker who has never played outside of Colombia. Not sure about this one.

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Johnny Ramone Cancel reply